The Dark is an imaginative tale that perfectly explains why there is no reason for anyone - especially young children - to be afraid of the dark.

Snicket personifies the dark, but not in the way that one would expect; instead of a sinister, terrifying being, the dark is welcoming, kind, and wise. It is the dark that comes to visit Lazlo, and the dark who teaches Lazlo a valuable lesson: without the dark, everything would be light, and you would never know if you needed a new lightbulb. This lesson, as the dark explains, does not just apply to darkness; it refers overcoming anything, and is a lesson that even I occasionally need to be reminded about. You can guarantee that if my future children are afraid of the dark, this will be the book to help them overcome that fear.